


Shenanigans

by RomancebyFaye



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Fluff, Hatchlings, M/M, Mischief, comical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:47:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2731328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomancebyFaye/pseuds/RomancebyFaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Julian and the hatchlings have an adventure. Garak is called to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shenanigans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [subspacecommunication (nattherat)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nattherat/gifts).



> Garak redesign and hatchlings all courtesy of subspacecommunication(nattherat) who has some gorgeous art and character redesigns. Check out their work! I love the thought of Cardassian hatchlings, so I decided to try my hand at using them in a story.

Shenanigans

* * *

  
  
Garak was sitting in his shop at his worktable, finishing the last hidden closure for a bridal suit when his comm went off. He looked at it with annoyance when it beeped at him, still rankled that the current developments had necessitated its presence on his person.  
  
Being one of a pair of guardians meant one must be easily reachable. However, it also meant that others were sometimes inclined to use it for their own convenience.  
  
When it chirped at him again, followed by the strained voice of his Doctor, he set his annoyance and his sewing aside.  
  
“Garak,” the voice said, sounding for all he could tell as if it were being spoken from inside of a metal barrel, “I could, um, use some help in our quarters.”  
  
Garak’s eyes widened as he wondered what his lover had gotten himself into now. A small smile graced his lips -  not that he would ever admit that to anyone - as he tapped the comm to reply.  
  
“Of course my dear, just give me a little while. I’m at a very delicate stage with this last piece - very tricky material, this Andorian silk.” He changed his sign to ‘closed’ as he stepped out of the doors to his shop.  
  
It was several moments before Julian’s voice came back over the comm.  
  
“Ah, I rather could use some assistance now.” Still that oddly echoing sound.  
  
Garak bobbed his head to one of his regular customers as he passed them exiting the turbo lift. He clutched his talons behind his back as it began its ascent, “Don’t worry dear, it should only take me another half hour and I’ll be on my way.”  
  
The reply this time was faster. The voice more flustered, if still rather tinny.  
  
“Garak. It can’t wait- _I_ can’t wait a half hour!”  
  
A tail swished in amusement as Garak stepped off the turbo lift.  
  
“Oh my. Well, while that offer is rather tempting, I’m afraid I really can’t step away at the moment. Even for such an enticing rendezvous.”  
  
Deliberate misunderstandings were always sure to get a memorable response.  
  
There was a significant pause. It was so long, in fact, that Garak was only a few loping steps from their door when Julian’s response came. It proved to be in good company with many others Garak had filed away in his brain.  
  
It was also considerably louder.  
  
“Garak! If you don’t get your scaly arse home right now, you’ll be lucky to _ever_ have another rendezvous in you life! Which will be _considerably_ shorter if I have to call someone else for help!”  
  
The door to their quarters whoosed open and Garak stepped inside. He didn’t bother to use his comm.  
  
“Duly noted my love. Now how can I-”  
  
Garak stopped mid sentence, his eyes drawn to the pert, uniform clad derriere of his partner. Oh goodness, life with him was never dull.  
  
“What a lovely view,” Garak said.  
  
He could see Julian’s lower half perfectly well, however, his upper half was currently embedded to the waist in one of the emergency air vents. Well, that explained the odd sound of his voice, if not how he had gotten himself into this predicament. To make the situation even more comical, a pair of hatchlings were crawling over and around his legs, occasionally trying to peek their tiny heads in between Julian’s body and the hole in the wall.  
  
“Don’t you dare laugh.”  
  
To his credit, Garak didn’t laugh. He did however, smile. Not one of the smiles he used in everyday interactions, meant to soften his edges and dull the sense of danger that radiated from his core. Neither was it one of the smiles of polite amusement, lips curled just so in order to deter fright. No, this was a full grin - lips pulled back to show every bit of his razor sharp teeth, all the way to the gum line. It was a smile of full Cardassian enjoyment, without any attempt to hide or dull the effects it might have on an unwitting observer. Indeed Garak didn’t laugh, but there was nothing in the universe to stop him from smiling.  
  
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”  
  
He chirruped at the hatchlings, who came to him almost immediately, only pausing for a moment to clutch at Julian‘s trapped form. It seemed their trust of Garak to remedy the situation pushed them quickly to a decision and they scurried over to him. He scooped them up and deposited them on the chair that they usually shared with Julian. He had taken to reading them stories in it before they went to bed at night. They chirped at him worriedly, obviously concerned for Julian even though they hadn’t yet grasped the nuances of language.  
  
“Don’t worry dears, I’ll get him out. Now, stay here until we sort this out.” He waited until they blinked and bobbed at him, assuring him that they had understood his request.  
  
He looked about for the third, but he had a good idea why only two hatchlings had answered his summons. He crossed back to Julian’s prone form, dropping down on his haunches as he eyed his behind. Really, he was such a delightful creature.  
  
“Julian, Dearest, would you please explain why you are currently embedded in the wall of our living quarters?”  
  
“I’m stuck,” came the sour reply.  
  
“Believe it or not, I surmised as much. I suppose I meant what circumstances led to your current situation.”  
  
“What circumstances do you think?”  
  
Garak smiled even harder at the grating tone.  
  
“Perhaps you were bored? You wanted to see the inner parts of Cardassian workmanship?”  
  
Several words were muttered - though they were muted by coming through the wall - that sounded almost like curses. Garak recognized them as the not-quite-curse-words that Julian had taken to using near the children whenever he was aggravated.  
  
“I’m stuck because someone wanted to go exploring. And this someone managed to find a way into this damned vent! Now get us out of here, _If You Please_.”  
  
The ‘if you please’ was enunciated in a way that made it clear it was a threat, not any type of polite request.  
  
Garak set to work. Carefully, he gripped the Human’s hips, splaying his claws out to the best purchase before gently working them side to side. It took a few moments - and Julian let loose some not so censored curse words when his head bumped the edge of the vent on his way out - but soon enough, he was free.  
  
Dusty and a bit red-faced, but otherwise unharmed, he plopped back against the wall and addressed the small bundle cupped carefully in his hands.  
  
“That was naughty of you.”  
  
Garak thought the admonishment was a bit to gentle to be of any effect.  
  
Julian raised the hatchling close to his face, offering an exaggerated furrowing of brows,  he continued. “Exploring can be dangerous you know. What would have happened if you’d gotten hurt in there? Or lost? Don’t scare me like that. I nearly had a heart attack.”  
  
The hatchling reached out, gently placing its claws on Julian’s cheek before bumping his nose with its forehead. It made a small trilling sound, which Garak was glad to see Julian correctly interpreted as an apology. The Human chuckled, and very gently placed a kiss on the dusty hatchling’s head.  
  
“Well, it’s all right. Just be careful next time, okay?”  
  
“I believe that could be said for the both of you, hmm?” Garak said.  
  
Julian moved to the chair to gather the other two hatchlings, cradling the trilling trio gently as he turned to face Garak.  
  
“And _you_! That was a nasty trick, making me think you weren’t coming to help!”  
  
Really, Garak tried. He tried so hard not to laugh.

But Julian was standing there, his hair all askew and full of clumps of dust, his uniform faring even worse, and his face a picture of  aggravation. On top of it all, his arms were full of three hatchlings who were currently doing their best to convey their relief by nudging and trilling and chirruping and curling their tails around him.  
  
He tried so hard, but he failed. His lips curled back to show his teeth in a true smile, then he chuckled, and then he laughed, loud and resonant.  
  
How could he not? It was such a lovely picture, full of life and love. Perhaps it wasn’t what others might consider domestic bliss - an alien mate and three children adopted under unusual and extreme circumstances - but for Garak, it was more happiness than he had ever dreamed. So he laughed as Julian glared at him, he laughed as three hatchlings looked at him with their heads bobbing and tilting in curiosity.  
  
And then Julian’s frown began to fade as he began to chuckle and laugh, too.  
  
Garak stepped close to him, enfolding him and his precious cargo in his arms as he gently bumped their foreheads together. Three tiny snouts nuzzled his own as they stood there for several minutes, just basking in the moment.  
  
When dust began to rain down from Julian’s hair onto the hatchlings, Garak sent them all  to clean up. He secured the vent cover - after some hatchling proof modifications - and went to join his family in the bath.  
  
Really, if someone had ever told him he would be this happy, he would have laughed at them almost as hard as he had laughed tonight.  
  
Life was immensely amusing sometimes.


End file.
